A Night In Nanamagari
by EvoFTG
Summary: A problem-haunted Yuuta Tomonaga went to seek Masaki for a little advice...as it turned out, his problem was not what Masaki was used to face. Mild slash between 18-year-old Yuuta Tomonaga/Deckerd.


"WHAT?!"

A number of customers looked up from their tables, some pausing between taking sips of their drinks, and Yuuta Tomonaga instinctively hunkered in a vain effort to hide his face. His stupefied look evolved to shame and to anger in a matter of seconds, with the last variation being specifically directed to Masaki. Really, his childhood friend's tactlessness could show up when it was least expected…and naturally, Yuuta would get the lion's share of the embarrassment.

"Oops, sorry," Masaki said quickly, though his tone implied no serious consideration for the situation he had just put Yuuta through. However, in a place where people were too busy worrying about themselves, and the cacophonic music was loud enough to induce short-term memory loss, the night club's visitors soon returned to their businesses of dancing, flirting, sitting, slumping, or trying to drown oneself in one alcoholic drink or another. Given, places like these were usually on the top list to be avoided on the simple basis that Yuuta did not prefer crowded or noisy situations (he had enough of those during his field works, thank you very much) but when you were enlisting the aid of a friend, courtesy made it a rule that the other chose the place of rendezvous, not the help-caller. So Yuuta suffered himself through a night trip to the city after an already long day at the police headquarter and sat on a tiny stool at the bar, waiting for about a quarter of an hour before Masaki showed up, waving a goodbye at a girl he had just obviously met and flirted with.

And then, a very awkward conversation started over a glass of wine – or rather, an awkward jumble of words that Yuuta had difficulty arranging in trying to explain the situation he was in…which ultimately led to Masaki's attention-grabbing exclamation.

"Dude, you don't have to shout!" Yuuta hissed, annoyed at Masaki's lack of vocal control.

"I said I was sorry!" Masaki replied in a more acceptable volume and even his facial expression matched it, though his tone still distinctly lacked that apologetic note. As it turned out, all of his capability to sympathize had been momentarily paralyzed by the sheer shock of Yuuta's revelations, as evidenced by the ogling he did on Yuuta's face in what seemed to be a quest of truthfulness, ending his search with a befuddled, "Really? You're serious about that thing you're telling me?"

"If I'm not serious now, I'll never gonna be."

Masaki's reaction to this was to gurgle down half of his beer in one quick swallow, set the glass down and sat pondering for a few more seconds, helped by the clarifying liquid he had just introduced into his systems. Unfortunately, the drink did not help much. "…so, you screwed a robot."

Yuuta cringed; the simplicity of the statement was a sinful underestimation of the scope of relationship he had painstakingly built with said robot. He swallowed the urge to elaborate on the aspect of his lover and waited for his friend to ride out the shock…apparently, by downing the rest of the drink down his gullet.

"YOU screwed a GIANT FRIKKIN' ROBOT?" Masaki tried his best not to shout this time, resulting in an exaggerated movement of the mouth that only spelled the last three words, but no sound came out. Yuuta shrugged in that obscure way of it's-my-choice-and-I'm-happy-with-it-anyway which brought out a round of disbelieving head-shaking from his bulkier friend. "Dammit Yuuta…all this time I was trying to get you to let loose and land yourself a girlfriend…and I never knew you've been dating!"

In actuality, Yuuta had not revealed the shocking truth in a neat little statement – it was more like a slip of the tongue, really. He doubted that alcoholic consumption would clear thinking…but it seemed to have calmed Masaki's nerves; at least he had not exclaimed in his last few sentences. So, Yuuta ordered another glass of beer from a passing waitress which was fulfilled in a mere few seconds, in the hope to fasten his friend's return to clear-thinking-orientation. Acknowledging Masaki's high tolerance from getting totally drunk, Yuuta was not concerned about his beer consumption…as long as he could still give acceptable advice at the end of their conversation.

Masaki did not resume his drinking but his hands were kept on the glass, just in case he needed a swig or two in short notice. "Screw you. And I thought myself an accomplished Romeo-esque figure."

Yuuta couldn't help but grinned at that. His harmless envy was unexpected but not so surprising, considering the carefree lifestyles Masaki had chosen for himself. Masaki grew up to be an appealing young man over the years since their childhood, with his sun-tanned, well-built, broad-shouldered, muscle-trained body in contrast to Yuuta's lean, narrow, fair-skinned appearance. His good looks and winning smile did not hurt his chance with the ladies either. That was not saying that Yuuta was unbecoming – he possessed his own brand of handsomeness that had lured the opposite sex's interests, but unlike his friend, he seemed to lack the talent to woo girls with words and actions without appearing awkward. One night flings weren't uncommon for him – habitual, even – and it would be downright peculiar if Masaki's girlfriend was the same person for a few consecutive weeks.

"Well, that's the reason I'm resorting to you for help, if you remember me telling you." It was Yuuta's turn to seek his own beer to collect his scattered nerves, though he did so in a comparably smaller gulp than his friend's. Yuuta did not need Masaki's suaveness to earn himself a girlfriend, not when he already had – as Masaki was heavily emphasizing for the last few minutes – a robotic lover, but Yuuta was in desperate need for tips to soothe possibly wounded heart.

Oh, Masaki remembered it alright – he just had a hard time digesting the identity of Yuuta's love interest to even begin addressing the chief reason they met in the first place. "…dude, you're the one who dated a twenty-foot-something robot cop. Why are you asking me?"

"…Just pretend that I have a perfectly normal, no-gossip-material, no-eyebrow-raising HUMAN girlfriend, okay?" Yuuta nudged the glass Masaki was gripping, hoping that his drinking of it would help him with the imagination. The latter was happy to obey, though he took the drink in considerably less volume now that the shock's intensity had partially worn off.

"'Normal human girl' –" Masaki's eyes widened in a sudden eureka moment, his drink interrupted before he could properly swallow the liquid. "You're the pitcher?"

"Masaki!" Yuuta felt his cheek reddening, the edges of his ears felt as if a tiny fairy had decided to lit a campfire there. For goodness' sake, Masaki just _have _to ask something like that!

"Alright, alright!" he set the glass down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. A cigarette was produced from his jean's pocket but he did not bother to offer Yuuta one as he lighted the tip, well-versed in Yuuta's concern for his health. He drew in a breath and puffed out the opening smoke, adding to the hazy ambience in the night club. "So, a normal human girlfriend, then. And you said 'she' was…sulking with you?"

"I'm not sure, really," Yuuta's fingers fidgeted around his beer glass, a behaviour he would resort to when under attack of nervousness or intense embarrassment. His reactions were justified, in a way – the fact that he was in love was perhaps too obvious to be hidden from his family and neighbours, but that he had fallen for one of the very Brave Polices he was commanding was a secret known only to the robots and a select few humans. Not even his parents knew of the exact identity of his lover. "Usually, I can tell when he's upset, and WHY. But this time…I really have no idea. It's been going on for two days…let's just say, it's downright uncomfortable when you're riding in a car that will only talk when you press him, and that's maybe only a word or two."

"…I'll say I'll freak out if MY car suddenly decides to TALK – but that aside, I see what you mean." He gave a deep pull on the cigarette and released a puff of grey smoke thicker than his initial exhalation. "…Is 'she' the jealous type?"

"Damn right he is," Yuuta muttered, and took another sip. His mind wandered to the day before their more romantic ties, when he was just an eight-grader child-policeman and his would-be-love was just a friend – a REALLY close one, but a friend nonetheless. The latter had been inexperienced to realize that some show of affection did not merit jealousy – like the closeness between father and son – but it was the first event that made Yuuta realized how mentally sensitive the robot was. He had, of course, matured throughout the years…but sometimes, even reasons could only do so much before his self-doubts, misinterpreted gestures or simply an appearance of attractive females made that protective jealousy reared its head from his usual dignified demeanours. "…are you suggesting that he's being jealous?"

It was in fact a rhetorical question and both acknowledged to be so. Masaki was kind enough to let the notion fully sunk into Yuuta's befuddled mind while indulging himself with the cigarette. The night club was still as boisterous as ever but the upbeat music receded into faint thumping in the background for Yuuta as his brain started chewing on the information. He never did intentionally seek to rouse his partner's jealousy but still…

…and suddenly, part of the puzzle pieces clicked in his mind. It was yet a perfect picture but at least he was no longer completely losing his head in the jigsaw puzzles. When Yuuta struggled out of his muddled thinking and back to the reality, he found that Masaki was no longer happily puffing on a cigarette and instead went on to happily exchange flirtatious glance with a couple of girls at the other end of the bar-table. The smouldering stick was still between his fingers but Yuuta thought it would not be long before he abandoned it completely and spared his attention to the individuals whose eyes he was currently aiming at.

"Masaki, a little help here?" Yuuta did not bother disguising his annoyance – his friend had the ten-second attention span of an ant when the opposite sex was thrown into the equation.

"Man, they are totally checking us out," He did not finger-point but the flick of his eyes indicated which girls exactly he was mentioning. Yuuta's curiousity made him lean forward for a better look across the table despite his inner self's insistence to get back to the discussion. Said females were indeed showing appreciative interest at being noticed in the crowd, one going as far as winking at Yuuta when she realized that she had a watcher. The suave one would probably have jumped at the obvious offer and went over to entertain them but Yuuta, with his mind firmly grasped on his problem and a healthy dose of loyalty towards his beloved, found their charm meaningless.

"I'm trying to curb a jealousy already sprouting, not grow new one, Masaki," Yuuta said, ignoring the disbelieving stare he earned from said friend for ignoring such an attention.

"So, you've figured out that he's really being jealous, then?" Masaki had apparently reached that point in their discussion where he no longer could pretend that Yuuta's 'girlfriend' was not at all a human female and the shock-plus-wonder returned to his face. "You know I can help smooth things out if you're not with someone so…so…_unconventional_...but man, this is out of my league."

Yuuta supposed it was kind of beyond Masaki's imaginary Love Doctor Certificate. You could probably treat the sulking loved one to a dinner, or maybe gifted her jewellery or a bouquet of flowers…but a mechanical being – albeit a very human-like at that – would have no need of such things. Yes, he had that streak of femininity in him, more so than the rest of his Brave Police comrades…but it remained that he was neither strictly female or male, an androgynous being in his own right. Yuuta gave a quiet groan; when he had called Masaki for help, it seemed like he was a good person to seek advice from with his vast experiences with romance. It was awkward and all too sudden to ask for aid from either of his sisters, both of whom having no clue whatsoever that he had been in relationship with the very robot they greeted every morning and the revelation thereof would spark questions he was not yet prepared to face. As for the other Brave Polices, all of whom had a varying degree of experiences in this delicate matter, they would probably be happy to help but again, Yuuta felt that usual annoying embarrassment at the prospect of advice-searching from them…

"I know," Yuuta said, feeling his inner self slumping in defeat. "Seems like I just have to get ourselves to sit down and talk."

It was such a simple solution that it did not deserve to be called a plan at all, but Yuuta was not willing to wait for the heat to dissipate. It was discontenting to watch your loved one suffer through emotional turmoil and in his case, his lover's hurt might have been more self-inflicted than anything else, as experiences had taught him. Masaki seemed fond to object to such direct approach but refrained himself – Yuuta might have gone to him for some tips and advices but it remained that only he knew his lover best, no matter how much of an expert Masaki fancied himself to be in the Romancing Department.

"Ah well – that's really up to you," he finally conceded and looked quite happy at it too, Yuuta thought. It might have been that being clueless in a relationship-centered problem was a mental strain Masaki was not used to facing, hence his eagerness to leave the battlefield without suffering a wounded pride as a womanizer. True enough, Masaki's eyes were back to the two girls he had temporarily abandoned for the sake of his friend. Yuuta noticed that they were still at the same spot, still giggling in their silent excited way when Masaki gave them The Glance…really, some men were just natural at seducing.

Yuuta called for the waitress to count the bill, noticing despite himself, that she was pretty enough to have had men crawling on their knees if she wanted to. Of course, it was difficult to not appreciate a feminine beauty when his eyes detected one but Yuuta, though could be visually stimulated by something interesting like a too-exposed body, felt no desire to lavish attention to people other than his chosen special one…the one who was now sulking with him.

"Leaving already?" Masaki asked when the note changed hands from Yuuta to the waitress. He did not seemed surprised – his friend did not share his enjoyment of being in the crowd and Yuuta had no reason to remain any longer, now that he had the answer in his hands.

"Yeah, thanks for coming," Yuuta replied honestly, already standing up from the stool. The discussion was short but it was profitable enough to have untied the disturbing knot in his brain. The rest of it depended on him…and damn it, the worry brought on by the prospect was already pressing against the inside of his skull, a light throbbing that was worsened by the atmosphere of the night club. "You're coming?"

"Nah, thanks," The conspiratorial smile on Masaki's face fell on the Mildly Alarming scale, and Yuuta could visualize a tiny version of himself padding his mentality from the oncoming embarrassment. "Night's still young and I, unlike you, still have to find myself a – "

"Shut up," Yuuta muttered…before launching into a shoulder-hitching laughter. Masaki's playful mood was infectious, the spreading of it helped by the liberating alcoholic content in their bodies. Yuuta gave a cursory glance at his wristwatch and found himself a little concerned about the time – night might still be young, but the intercity bus did not run on the same schedule as a his own. "Gotta run now. See you later!"

Yuuta saw his friend raised his nearly-empty beer glass in farewell before Masaki – predictably – went over to attend the patiently-waiting aforementioned girls. Yuuta turned away from the scene and headed for the exit, leaving the stuffy-aired dance floor, the eardrums-pounding loudness and all the hustles and bustles typical of a night club behind him.

As it turned out, Yuuta managed to catch a bus-ride back to the familiar neighbourhood at the outskirt of Nanamagari city. He had alighted at the nearest bust-stop but it was still a few hundred metres of walking before he reached the Tomonaga residence. Yuuta didn't mind the walking, though; the open night sky was a welcomed change to the hazy, smoke-polluted, beer-scented atmosphere of the night club he had just escaped from. Yuuta let himself be liberated in the simple pleasures of feeling cool breeze caressing his face and neck, tousling his hair into ever-messy strands of black, while his feet worked on autopilot and carried the young man through the deserted street back home.

Yuuta expected nothing in particular, just a general hopefulness that there would be improvement in his partner's mood upon his return. Of course, his robotic lover never did display a full-blown sulking – the kind where, if it was a movie scene, the female spouse would cry and demand a divorce – but Yuuta had grown some sort of innate sense that could detect general frostiness in the other's behaviour…and no matter who or what the cause, the young man would be bothered by it. Thus, it took him by surprise when he emerged from the last junction and found that he was being expected by a certain Corvette police cruiser parked halfway out of his house's opened gate, the uplifted headlights a clear indication of the vehicle's wakefulness.

There was no greeting, just an utterance of "Yuuta?" in a clearly anxious voice coming from the Corvette's speakers.

"Um…hi?" Yuuta knew that it was a mightily dumb reply but he was too stunned for anything else. He had not presumed the possibility of being waited upon…and even if it did cross his mind, his sisters would naturally be Yuuta's first guess to have been the persons waiting for his return.

Yuuta certainly have not included _Deckerd _to be the one sitting on his wheels for hours for the Tomonaga's appearance, not when the Corvette-former was supposed to be _sulking with him._

"Yuuta, I've been worried about you!" Said human could hear the near-tearful agitation in Deckerd's smooth, lilting voice which did nothing to alleviate the confusion he was in. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way round? That Yuuta was the one worrying over Deckerd, and the other waited for his consolation? At least, that was how things worked in the movies…

Before any foolish questions could escape him, Corvette-Deckerd had taken the initiative and went to the troubles of greeting him physically, his engine rumbling its gentle note when the vehicle rolled out of his parking space. Yuuta watched, transfixed by surprise and plain bafflement by the sudden reversal in their roles, as the cruiser came up to him and _nuzzled _his black prow against the side of Yuuta's leg in as best an embrace as Deckerd could manage in this form. The camera-lenses hidden under the plexiglass headlights were tuned upon Yuuta's visage, judging the emotions flitting across the young man's face. Yuuta could in fact feel the analytical gaze of his lover, searching desperately for…something that he was still not sure what. The situations that he _thought _he had under control was spiralling out of his conceivable grasp.

Apparently dissatisfied by the minimal contact his vehicular form could give, Deckerd backed away and reverted into his root mode. What had been a Corvette police cruiser was now a twenty-foot robotic police officer, transformed in a split-second flash of changing metals. Deckerd instantly dropped to his knee before the young man, his expression of nervousness intensely implied in the tightness of his mouth and the subtle frown shadowed by the overhanging visor.

"Where have you been, Yuuta? I've tried calling you a few times but you didn't answer," To others, Deckerd sounded as if he was demanding explanation from his subordinates but Yuuta heard within his tone the plea that could only come from a concerned, worried-to-death spouse. Indeed, when Yuuta moved forward and placed his hand upon the robot's larger one, the human could feel residual tremors of fear running through the Brave Detective's frame.

Rattled by the intense depression displayed by his beloved, Yuuta effectively forgot that Deckerd was supposed to be sulking with him right now. "…I'm sorry for causing you worry, Deckerd. I didn't notice that my phone's ringing." Of course he would not be able to with his eardrums constantly banged by loud music and cacophonic voices of the bar-attenders. Knowing his lover, the Brave Detective might have tried dialling him for more than five-six times to have his calm reserve so deconstructed by the lack of response.

"…It's unusual for you to go out at night, and you've rarely came back so late…I'm fine with it, of course, but when Azuki-san told me that she couldn't reach you, I tried calling you myself. I thought of the worst when you didn't pick up…" Yuuta thought it was an achievement that Deckerd managed to get them all out without being interrupted by a sob or a quiver in his voice, so distressed did the robot appear to him. However, it took Deckerd a long pause after that to collect himself together, his angular fingers gently smoothing the wild, wind-messed hair on Yuuta's scalp. The physical touch was necessary not for appearance, but for Deckerd's self-assurance that his nightmare was not the frightening reality he thought it to be.

"…I tried to locate you, Yuuta," Deckerd said, breaking the few minutes of silence that Yuuta had allowed between them, "Usually, I can lock on your cellphone's frequency but weather condition made GPS tracking obsolete…Shadowmaru have the ability to interface with the cellular provider for alternative triangulation…but not me."

"Deckerd, I'm here right now," Yuuta said, simply because Deckerd required his response. The detective could be cruelly harsh on _himself _when he deemed to be a failure or a weakness, and the longer Deckerd brooded, the likelier for him to make the seemingly unreasonable connection between his anxiety and being incompetent.

"I guess I was just being paranoid. I _told _myself I was being paranoid –" Deckerd broke off to shake his head in frustration. His face twisted into one of anger but the fear Yuuta felt was only for the robot himself, knowing that Deckerd's mental abuse would not ease up easily once it was invoked. "I did everything I could to not act recklessly but I couldn't stop speculating why you didn't answer my calls. I feared that you got hurt at first, then I told myself that you are more than capable of defending yourself…of course, then I – "

Deckerd's mouth was frozen open mid-sentence, choked suddenly by a nervousness of different kind than what he had exhibited previously.

"Deckerd, what is it?" Yuuta asked but as soon as he finished it, he regretted asking in the first place. Not because it was the wrong question to ask – in fact, judging by the subtle twitch of the robot's fingers as they ran through the human's hair, Yuuta might have hit an unquestionable bulls-eye a little _too precisely._ The young man could even hear the ominous voice of his conscience whispering, "_Here it comes…" _in his mind and dreading the consequence of his inquiry.

Deckerd fidgeted, his anxiety showing all too plainly that Yuuta had no doubt of the incoming confession even before the detective continued, each word grated with a thousand apology, "…then I thought…that perhaps…you finally grow tired with me…"

Yuuta opened his mouth, a denial ready to jump from his tongue but a simple shake of Deckerd's head and a gentle pressure of his fingers on the man's shoulder told Yuuta that the Brave Detective needed to get the confession out. It was burning his inside the longer his heart contained the poison and it could be too grievous for healing if left too long. Though reluctant, he kept his silence, his hand travelling to Deckerd's other hand which had been lying passively on the detective's pale thigh-plating. He gave the black fingers gentle squeezes to encourage his continuation.

"It's a foolish thought, I admit," Deckerd said in the smallest whisper, "I've tried to avoid thinking too much about it. But sometimes, I lost the battle…especially when…well, when you seem so happy to be with a girl out there."

There was the tiniest sense of triumph rising in Yuuta when he heard the last bit – his wild guess, made back in the bar while sitting with Masaki, turned out to be true after all. But there was no joy or exhilaration in his success, so when Yuuta brought himself to address the matter specifically, he did so with utmost care, "Are you talking about that lunch I had with Atsuko two days ago?"

Said Atsuko was merely a friend of his in his high school who happened to be particularly close to him, perhaps because they both were in the same club back then. It was completely accidental that he had met her during the noon break two days ago, the first time ever since Yuuta was transferred to undergo special training at a regional Police Academy. It seemed a courteous thing to do to treat her for a lunch, so he did...What Yuuta did not expect was for Deckerd to actually stumble across them, and combined it with the rarity in which the man actually went out during the lunch hour instead of ordering his meals from a restaurant and have it delivered straight to the Decker Room, Yuuta presumed it did appear a little intimate to casual observers.

Deckerd flinched as Yuuta's 'arrow' hit the mark for the second time. His expressions flickered through a wide emotional spectrum until his face finally settled on looking ashamed, with a dash of self-directed irritation. "I assume I was being too obvious about it?"

_Not too obvious_, Yuuta thought to himself, or he would have that conflict solved the day it sprouted. It was partly Yuuta's fault, if the subject was examined in the unconventional view – Some would have said that Deckerd was being clingy and overly sensitive, perhaps even a control freak, but those were opinions borne out of ignorance. Deckerd had no intention becoming any of the above and Yuuta, who knew better, held no ill will when occasionally the Brave Detective lost his composure, having realized that it was simply a manifestation of Deckerd's self-doubts and fear. It made things a little difficult sometimes, Yuuta conceded, but he supposed it was an inevitable side-effect considering the complexities Deckerd had put himself through to be considered – and accepted – as a lover.

"Actually, I've been stumped for two days while I figure out what's wrong."

Deckerd was afraid of upsetting Yuuta beyond anything so the statement made him recoiled, fearing rebuke but was prepared to bear it. However, as Yuuta shimmied away from the robot's grasp on his shoulder and leaned against the length of Deckerd's leg nearest to him, he turned up his face and met the detective's gaze squarely, his eyes calm and soothing. The smile he wore was one of gentle teasing which held neither anger nor accusation. Deckerd was initially baffled by the clash of his worst expectation and Yuuta's soothing interaction…but when he overcame the shock, the understanding changed the detective's agitation into timid embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," Deckerd finally said. "I shouldn't have been so pessimistic about it. And I shouldn't have been so irresponsible to…to…"

"Sulk with me?" Yuuta grinned as his suggestion struck the right chord in Deckerd and renewed the robot's fidgeting, the hand he had rested on his thigh was now opening and closing restlessly. Yuuta could not help his chuckle, not scorning his lover but merely extending the harmless teasing he had started with his smile back then, and Deckerd's degeneration stopped with miraculous suddenness. The unexpected show of amusement invoked a kind of timid curiousity in Deckerd and effectively silenced what residual expectation of being punished.

"Oh, Deckerd," Yuuta was still struggling to hold off his giggles, "I'm flattered that you were jealous but I assure you that she and I had nothing going on between us. The only thing that's happening is between _you_ _and me_."

As if to emphasize his point, Yuuta bent down and kissed the fingertips of the hand he had been patiently stroking throughout their exchange. His gaze remained fixated on the Brave Detective's countenance high above him, taking satisfaction when he saw the pale lips quirked in that adorable way whenever Deckerd was embarrassed or unsettled. The brightening of his optics spoke of delight amidst the awkwardness and Yuuta was motivated to keep his mouth on the metallic surface for a while longer than intended. He could almost imagine the misunderstanding between them concerning that Atsuko girl collapsing to the last brick as his kiss was answered with gentle stroking on his back with Deckerd's other hand, tentative in the way the robot usually was at first, before the confidence built up enough and the fingers moved up and down his spine without so much as a pause.

Yuuta only resurfaced from his hand-caressing after a full minute, though to the human it felt like hours he had been treating the huge fingers before him. Deckerd responsively stopped his ministrations when the young man did and simply revelled in the closeness shared between the unlikely pair. Yuuta supposed, as a random flash of thought occurred to him, that Masaki's shock upon finding his relationship with Deckerd was justifiable while he stood between the Brave Detective's legs and imagined what it looked like to outsiders. The half-moon shining on the heaven behind the armoured form cast a silvery outline upon his lover, bringing Yuuta to that memory when he had, against all odds and whispers of doubt, sealed his fate with that of Deckerd. He had been undaunted by the prospect of togetherness that only few had ever treaded before and had never regretted the path he had taken then…and like before, Yuuta found that he had no needed for others' misgivings when he knew that his choice was perfect.

"Deckerd?" Yuuta whispered. His soft voice carried easily all the way to the top of Deckerd's towering height and reached his audio sensors, bringing the orangey gaze back towards the human. And like everything else about Deckerd, Yuuta found that smile on his lips beautiful, lovely in a way Yuuta would never found in other females.

"Yes, Yuuta?"

"Let's get some sleep. We both can definitely use some rest."

Deckerd nodded, realizing quite well the truth in that statement. Yuuta deftly extracted himself from his lover's gigantic hold to give enough space for the shape-changing to commence. In the same short time Deckerd had altered his form previously, the Brave Detective was now reversing the process, Yuuta watching in undiminishing awe as the twenty-plus feet of armoured form compacted itself neatly into a sleek Corvette body. His proud smile spoke of the wordless praises, and Deckerd accepted them with a sheepish dipping of his headlights.

Another thought flashed across Yuuta's mind while he walked back towards the house. He turned back towards the Corvette, which was obediently escorting him to the doorway and was now waiting for the human to get inside. "Say, Deckerd…"

"...yes?"

"Do you mind if I sleep in you tonight? I could use some company." From Yuuta's appearance and his tired-croaky voice, it was apparent that tonight was one of those where the heat of their lust was exchanged with innocent companionship that was no less treasured, and Deckerd was likewise in need of Yuuta's company. As such, it was not surprising that Deckerd's passenger-side door popped open enthusiastically as soon as the proposal was made, his invitation came in a whispered, "Not at all, Yuuta."

And when Yuuta hauled himself into the Corvette's cab and the door closed in his wake, the world inside the car was purely theirs, a land where there existed only Yuuta and Deckerd to bask in each other's presences, uninterrupted throughout the night and all the way until sunrise of the following morning.


End file.
